An electronic cigarette (“e-cigarette,” “e-Cig,” or “eCig”) is a device that emulates tobacco cigarette smoking, by producing smoke replacement that may be similar in its physical sensation, general appearance, and sometimes flavor (i.e., with tobacco fragrance, menthol taste, added nicotine etc.). A battery portion of the e-Cig includes a controller and rechargeable battery for powering the device (e.g. providing electrical power) and a cartomizer portion generates an aerosol mist (i.e. e-smoke or vapor) that is a replacement for cigarette smoke. In particular, the cartomizer may use heat, ultrasonic energy, or other means to atomize/vaporize a material, such as a liquid solution (i.e. an “e-Liquid”), which may be based on propylene glycol, or glycerin, and may include taste and fragrance ingredients. The result is an aerosol mist. The atomization may be similar to nebulizer or humidifier vaporizing solutions for inhalation.
The e-Liquid may be kept in a container (sometimes called “cartomizer”, which may be the approximate size of a regular cigarette's filter), and during the puff some of it is heated while being close to and around a heating coil (for example operated by a battery, and controlled via a control chip and a puff sensor). The heated e-Liquid loses its high viscosity, and then is prone to atomization and some evaporation, generating the “smoke” to be inhaled by the user. The atomization may be enhanced by the usage of an e-Liquid-soaked wick inside a heating coil, where the small spaces between the wick fibers and inside them enhance the breaking of the heated e-Liquid to small droplets generating the fog-like smoke. Some of the vaporized e-liquid may re-condensate to droplets, creating more fog-like smoke, due to the mix of the inhaled room-temperature air with the heated air and vapor inside the cartomizer. This effect is enhanced by the higher temperature generated by the electrically-energized heated coil, combined with the air flow (that reduces pressure around the wick due to the Bernoulli's principle, thus enhancing evaporation rate) both enhance evaporation rate, loading the air around the heating coil and wick combination with e-Liquid vapors. When this air, saturated with e-Liquid vapors, is hit by the room-temperature air flow sucked in by the user, some of its vapor may condensate into small air-borne droplets (similar to water fog in air) and add to the “smoke” generated by the e-Cig.